Support for electric fixtures



March 31, 1925. 1,531,423

' W. S. SIMPSON SUPPORT FOR ELECTRIC FIXTURES Filed Ot. 26, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /////WWWWWWWW March 3l. 1925. 1,531,423

w, s.\s|MPsoN SUPPORT FOR ELECTRIC FIXTURES ,51,66 Oct726, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 31 1925.

UNITED STATES (sul.

WILLIAM S. SIMPSON, OF NIAGARA FALL-S, ONTARIO, CANADA.

SUPPORT FOR ELECTRIC FIXTURES.

Application tiled October 26, 1921.

To all iii/710m t may concern.'

Be it known that I, IVILLiAM S. SiirrsoN, a subject of the King of England, residing at Niagara Falls, Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Supports for Electric Fixtures, of which the following is specification.

My invention relates to improvements in supports for outlet boxes, electric fixtures and the like, and has more particular reference to that class of supports adapted to be applied to joists or studs of buildings.

Heretofore, it has generally been the practice to construct a support for this purpose by building the same of pieces of wood fastened between joists or studs; each support so constructed invariably comprising a meinber arranged horizontally7 between j oists and a second member fastened to one of the marginal portions of the horizontally-arranged member and also fastened to the j oists. When arranged between studs, the support is also constructed of similar singularly-arranged wooden members fastened at opposite ends to two spaced studs. A support so constructed and fastened, however, presents a surface of considerable area which is to be covered with lath and plaster, and when the supoort is properly placed between joists or studs so as to provide a secure fastening for an electric fixture, a considerable area of plaster will be found to have an insecure fastening to the vlath, due to the fact that the lath lies against the support the full width of the same and fromV joist to joist or stud to stud, as the case may be, and when plaster is applied over this area it cannot properly become keyed to .the lath. Moreover, str ctures so formed and utilized as supports have many other disadvantages, among which may be stated that considerable expensive labor is required to construct and secure the same in place and that owing to the manner of securing structures of this kind to the joists or studs, exact placementis almost impossible. Oftentimes when applying lath to the joists or studs the support will be found to extend outwardly beyond the joists or studs and prevent proper securing of the lath, with the result that in fastening the lath, the support will be forced out of position and become loosened.

One of the objects of my invention is the production of a simple, cheap, and effective support which can be easily and conveu Serial No. 510,604.

iently secured to a joist or stud, and which has an adjustable part to which an outlet box or other electrical fixture may be at tached, the whole being so arranged that an outlet box or other fixture can be conveniently positioned in the center of a room or at any predetermined point, although the support'will be attached to only a single joist or stud, as the case may be.

Y A .further object of my invention is the provision lof a support for the purposes stated, which has improved means for securely locking the loom through which the electric current-conducting wires leading to a fixture are passed, thus fully protecting the insulation covering of the wire and guarding against spontaneous combustion.

A further object of the invention is to provide a metallic support adapted to be secured to a single joist or stud and to adjustablv attach to said metallic support a block of wood of comparatively small superficial area beneath or outside of which latli and plaster are to be applied, the wooden block on account of its small size preventing the keying of the plaster to the lath over such a small area as not to materially interfere with the olding orretaining qualities of the plaster to the lath.

A further object of my invention is to provide a support of this kind in which the supporting member is secured at one end to a joist or stud and extends toward one of thc adjoining joists or studs, and to adjustably retain a xture-securing member to said supporting member soV that a fixture can be secured to any point along the length of the supporting member. Y

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel features of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings Fig. l is a section through a portion of i building showing my improved fixture support arranged between two joists and fastened to one of then ig. 2 is a detached perspective-view of the adjustable carrier or securing member.

F ig. 3 is a perspective view of the metallic supporting member.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the port.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section taken complete su p ing member toward and porting member.

lilith theparts fastened in place, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the supporting member is so positioned that when the carrier or securin'f member is placed thereagainst, the under side ot said carrier or securing member will be in line with the lower edge of the joists 15, thus the lath 17 can be easily fastened in place. allowing the ends of the currentconducting wires 33 to extend downwardly through the space between two adjacent laths. The ends of the wires 33 will lso extend through the plaster applied to the lath, sudicient extension being allowed for connection to wires or C arts arranged within or applied to an electric chandelier or other fixture which can be fastened in place by means of screws passed through the plaster and lath and threaded into the carrier or securing member 26 of the support. In ythis manner a secure fastening is provided for the chandelier or other fixture.

ln 7 l have shown a modified form of my invention and in lieu of the carrier or securing member shown in the preceding figures,`:in outlet box is secured t-o the under side of the supporting member ml against the suplg. 1111s outlet box has an inner wall adapted to lie against the under side of the supporting member 19 and a. depending flange 36 serving as the cylindrical side wall of said box. The inner wall 35 is provided with two loom openings 3T offset slightly with respect to two of the openings 24 in said supporting member. lThe loom 31 is passed through two of the openings 2d in said supporting member and vthrough the two openings 37 in the innerwall of said outlet box, tern'iinating within said box, the electric currentcondueting wire being passed through the loom and extending downwardly through the box for connection to a chandelier or other electrical fixture. The lath 17 and plaster' 18 surrounds the cylindrical wall 3G of said outlet box.

Secured to the inner wall of said box is a nipple SS onto which a fitting 39 may he threadd, and into said fitting 39 the upper end of a chandelier or other fixture el@ is threaded.

It is to be noted that the lower edge of the cylindrical wall 36 of said outlet box is flush with the plaster, and that two ears d1 extend inwardly from said wall, to which may be secured a cover (not shown), such as commonly used with outlet boxes.

As the material from which the outlet box is formed is comparatively thin, it is necessary toresort to the use of a securing member in the form of aloclring plate 42, which'is approximately of cylindrical outline with slight curved depressions 43 formed in its edge at diametrically opposite points. Said securing member or lock plate is provided with projecting ears i having tapped openings d5 therein, said openings receiving securing screws 1G passed upwardly through openings in he inner vall of the outlet box, said screws lying at opposite sides of the supporting` member 19.

llhen fastening the loom in place. the outlet box is lowered so as to be spaced from the supporting member and thus permit the ready insertion of loom through two of the openings 2li in said supporting member and through the openings 37 in the inner wall 35 of the outlet box. rlie securing member or lock plate 2% is then placed in position above the supporting' member with the two separate lengths of loom positioned against 'he curved depressions 4:3 of said lock plate, and with the securing' scews 4-6 entered in the tapped openings formed in the ears fill of said loci: plate. Upon tightening the securing screws the outlet box moved upwardly against the under side of the supporting member and the loclt plate d2 drawn firmly against the upper side of said supporting member. atl the same time compressing the loom and locking the same in place. TWhile the loom will be locked by the upward movement of the outlet box against the supporting member, due to the openings in said box and member being out of exact alinement, l nevertheless consider' it advisable in many instances to utilize the lock plate d2 as an additional safeguard against the withdrawal of the loom.

in Fig. 13 have shown conduits ffii entering the outlet box 5ft ai sides. and in cases of this kind the electric current-con-- ducting wires are passed through said con duits and enter said outlet box, bein passed through said box or arranged to terminate within said box, .depending on the particular fixture or purpose for which the support is to be used. ln cases of this kind a fiat retainer plate 4S is utilized in connection with the securing screws Ll-G. said screws being passed upwardly through the inner wall of the outlet box and along opposite sides of the supporting member 19. said screws being threaded through tapped openings d?) in said retainer plate 4.8.

Having thus described my invention. I claim is 1. A support for electric fixtures comprising a member having means for securinfg the same to a portion of a building and having a member to which the fixture is to be secured, said members having openings out of complete registration to receive loom and co-acting to lock the loom against withdrawal when securing one member to the other.

2. In a support for electric fixtures the combination of a supporting member having means to secure the same to a port-ion of a building and a securing member adjustwhat able alongsad.suppdrtng member and mov-1 :able toward and romsaid supportngfmemher,Y sai d members 'having y Openn gs .th-rough which loom is passed and sadopenngs he- 'ng ont: of c-Omplee 4regstrzcon .to loek Athe 100m When fastening-said securing member to said Vsupportinganelrnher. .Y 3. A. support for electric,xturesomprsinge suppdr'rngmelnher having spaeedleom Openings `vheren, @securing menlher hm@ ing spaced 100m openingsxeren, andmeans ifor fastening TSeid securing melnher'ft said Snppmtng-memhergthe oomnpenn n said memhersiheing osetto :10C-,lathe loom lnvernen XJhen dgihtenng vsaid Securing member against 1 said snpportng nernben L A supper?. ef ,fthe kind .deeerheih eem# prisng; Sr-,pporrlng member haring @series Y Y rms arrangedat rglrtmngles to en inserted, and means for drawing seid securing member eward or agninsf til-.snpportngnmemher. 'Y Y Y 5. A'support ofthe kind deserhed,eom praising asnpportng; member hay g d ch vother, @ne of Said arms being adagted tolle against vand Ihe fastened vso Yan @lement of building' `struotare vandV the Other haring Series .or Vspaced V100m openings mdngrrew slots connecting sad leemropenngsre securing mem- `her having VaV loom .opening therein, and a fr of Screwsexendngjronl said Securing melnherdand passing'tn'onghjvm of Said hearing :1 5o oppositie sldes or say- V Slots., member being drawn npWarrdly gqrmst ,the underSrde-G sind slqgpornlgmember 11.13911 Yt1ghenln'g SL vr' In testimony whereoff ny .signe-I 

